Xaltwind — Roleplayer Guild

(Collab: @The Irish Tree)
As Isolde's team hovered wordlessly in the skies above, one of the ESPER Wings suddenly turned her head towards Ambderden. After only a brief moment of silent observation, it reached out its left hand and grabged Isolde's sleeve, tugging on it and then pointing towards the little hamlet. Isolde, in turn, rotated around and started blankly at the village off in the not-too-distant area. Another moment of silence passed, before the little automaton realized what she had been made aware of.

"Primary objective located. Move to begin detailed observation." She said bluntly, the other two automatons nodding wordlessly.

And so, the trio set off from their positoon slightly east of the village, abandoning and disregarding all other sights and details in pursuit of hurriedly moving to catch a glimpse of, and continue to monitor, the strange unknown source of overwhelming power that had just appeared in Amberden.  They still remained at high altitude though, looking like nothing more than birds to those on the surface. However, should the target move into areas with a lot of cover or visual interference, the three airborne NPCs would have to descend and pursue their mark at a lower, and less concealed, elevation. That hardly mattered though, Rodias had given instructions to keep an eye out for this powerful being and, just like that, here it was - running and making itself known. There was no way they were going to give up on surveilling their primary pbjective!

The Golden-Eyed Monster that was this level 100 woman would continue skipping from rooftop to rooftop, a certain glimmer to her appearance that indicated she was using some sort of illusion in order to remain invisible to the villagers she was roof-hopping above. Her destination seemed impossible to gauge, but, bolting from the village and into the treelines leading north, it seemed she was heading to the frozen wastes of the North. It seemed that Isolde and her units hadn't been noticed yet...but it was difficult to see her moving in the trees. 

Since their target was now becoming more and more concealed by the slowly densing forest, Isolde and her two cohorts were forced to go lower, falling from their high elevation in the sky like a triplet of glowy-winged angels in the night sky. Of course, they were still high enough that they could be mistaken for many other things, even a threesome of shooting stars. Still, the fact that the target was now moving north would prove beneficial, as it could be intercepted and further monitored by the four ESPER Wings in the north-most group, should isolde and her team lose track of the bouncung, skipping and rather unassuming source of unrivaled power.

"Send Order." Isolde said, sending a mental message to all of her siblings. "Primary target heading north from human village. Destination unknown. Northern ESPERs, prepare for continued observation, track target at all costs." She ordered to her still distant subordinates.

With her commands given, the four airborne aces in the northern group spread out a bit, so as to cover a slightly wider area, keeping their visored heads turned towards the south. If their prey was to try and come this way, it would be hard pressed to slip through their watchful net. Meanwhile, Isolde's group ceased their descent for now, staying still a good ways above the forest treeline, but nowhere near as far up as they had been before.  Her two companions had the benefit of their visors to keep track of their target and filter out unnecessary noise. Isolde on the other hand, had to manage all that manually and even switching her eyes to nightvision or thermal-mode could only do so much.  If the Golden Eyed miscreant kept insisting on running through the undergrowth, she would have to drop even lower.

Isolde would quickly find that the "miscreant" was indeed going to keep on running through the undergrowth, now simply running amidst the trees rather than atop them. Her movements were growing suspicious...as if she was aware that she was being tailed. Isolde would nearly be hit by a branch that had been intentionally held back in a bid to knock the gynoid out of the air, narrowly dodged by her impressive speed. She was definitely aware she was being followed, now.

Isolde quickly issued new orders to her two wing-men, instructing them to again rise further into the air. She was both higher level and faster than them by default, and she didn't want to risk either of them getting needlessly damaged now that their target was aware of her pursuers. Wordlessly, the two other automatons soared back upwards into the heavens, though not so far as to be outside or beyond reach of their leader, should the need for backup arise.

Now that all pretense of stealth had quite frankly been shattered, isolde saw no need to maintain a disadvantageous monitoring position. As such, the little blonde increased her overall outpot, causing her wings to briefly flash as extra mana was poured into them, increasing her mobility, speed and performance overall.  At this point, she could probably keep pace with the fleeing target, so long as nothing too disrupting or obstructing was thrown her way. She had also, at this point, sunk to fly just above the treeline, making it far easier to keep track of her target's movements and actions. She would not be shaken off so easily.

When Isolde caught up with her target, she would find that the golden-eyed woman was grinning, relishing in the fact that Isolde had caught up to her before seemingly doubling her own speed, starting to blitz through the treeline before coming to a halt where the snow began, stepping out slowly onto the open snowfields, well within sight of Chuunitrixx's Gamma camo.

"You're pretty fast for an NPC. Even if you are a little annoying. Wow, your creator gave you huge knockers too...must have been some special kind of freak," she laughed, ever so slightly removing her own hood before glowering at Isolde. 

Stepping forward, the golden-eyes woman's face revealed itself as the frozen breeze skipped across the snowy field, her appearance strangely young; She looked younger than Isolde was made to appear, and just as short...yet something about her eyes was incredibly unsettling. They glowed with an unnatural spark to them, as if everything they saw was interesting, worthy of note, and worthy of trying. In what capacity one could only guess, but before Isolde could even process what happened, she was an inch from her face, smiling as she pinched Isolde's cheek. "Heeey, you're not upset about me making that little mimic throw up, are you? Are you her friend? That's so cute~" she would say, all the while making it painfully aware to Isolde that one false move and she could quite literally rend Isolde's head from her shoulders by her cheek. Despite the Automaton immunity to fear...Isolde would start feeling an inkling of the dread Chuunitrixx had faced just minutes ago. "So, why are you following me?" she asked, looking Isolde right in the eyes, piercing through her with her stare in a way that made death seem almost preferable. 

Hovering just about an inch above the snwoy ground, Isolde stared back at the golden eyed girl with the glowing glare. Her face was as neutral and unplussed as it always was, though the feeling of discomfort was rather unusual for her. Still, since Isolde had never experienced anything like that before, the feeling was - for the moment- disregarded as some sort of bug or error within herself. As she remained, pinched by the cheek of her target, the two ESPER Wings high above remained silent and motionless in the air, observing the going-ons on the ground below them.

"Honest. Orders were given to monitor a designated area in search of a source of competetive power." Isolde replied, dead-pan and indifferent in her voice as always. "Confusion. Mimic? Friend? Meaning unclear. Please elaborate." She inquired, words sounding a bit distorted since her mouth was slightly stretched due to the cheek-pinching.

"Ohhh, you state your emotions since you can't express them. So cute~!" the girl would squeal, smiling. "Nevermind, your creator has good taste. And, I ran into a mimic with a fancy gun...got all scared when she figured out she couldn't kill me with it. Or something. She just started puking her guts out and trying to run away from me," the girl said, idly twiddling a lock of her silver-y hair as she kept on touching Isolde's face. "So, you found your competitive power. What now? Gonna try and kill me? Might be able to, with this numbers advantage thing going on," she said, which was clearly untrue. Even if Isolde and the ESPER wings fought with everything they had, it was unlikely that victory was possible. That was how huge a gap Level 100 was. 

Continuing her poking and prodding of Isolde's face, the girl eventually started petting her head softly. She was...very strange. She almost seemed like she wanted to keep Isolde as a pet. 

"Realization. Oh, her." Isolde said, while being patted on the head. "No instructions were issued for her to be in this area. Indpendent action, how troublesome. Must report this compromising activity upon return." Isolde noted, not being at all concerned with the state Chuunitrixx was left in. At the mention of her supposed aattempt at killing the mysterious, and very physically playful, girl before her, Isolde simply tilted her head - awkwardly as heck - and replied. "Honest. Orders to attempt elimination of target were rejected, instructions were to only observe and follow any object or organism fitting the primary objective's description." Isolde explained, as if this wasn't obvious already. "Unamused. Engagement with you has a negative percentage chance of success. There is no possible way this unit could achieve victory." Isolde retorted, either aware of the vast gap in strength, or at least aware of her own precarious situation at the hands of this molester.

At this point, Isolde's wings dispersed in a glittery, fireworks-like rain of green-glimmering sparks and shards, causing the automaton to gently plop down onto the snowy ground, as it was a waste of her mana to stay airborne now that her target had caught her and was - apparently - quite set on cuddling.

"Hypothesis. You have knowledge about NPCs, this would suggest you're possibly a former resident of YGGDRASIL, or have encountered others from there previosuly." Isolde stated in an attempt to glean some information while she was being treated like a pet bunny.

"Wow. That's kinda cold. For such a cute little short stack, you're kind of a bitch, huh?" the golden-eyed girl would question, ceasing her patting. "Anyways, yeah, I'm from YGGDRASIL...take it that means your master or whatever is too? Nifty. Ardion will wanna meet him at some point...so, what's your master like? Guy or girl? Race? Build? ASL?

"Indignant. Those who don't follow orders and get themselves intro trouble because of their own incompetence are none of my concern." Isolde replied, obviously not liking being called a 'bitch' simply because she wasn't fawning over the poor doppelganger after she got herself beaten up, or whatever her fate was. "Smug. Recording information. Confirmed YGGDRASIL resident. Ardion." Isolde said, staring at the girl infront of her. "Silly. Whatever do you mean? No mention of any Master has been made. No response can be given to incorrect assumptions." Isolde tried, painfully obviously pretending to play dumb.

Isolde wouldn't be ready for what would happen at her playing dumb...nor would the ESPER wing that was suddenly shot down, a beam of concentrated magic having burst out from behind the girl, cleanly piercing the ESPER Wing's chest through, completely incapacitating her and destroying her wings. "I already know that NPCs like you don't have the brains to do a single thing on your own. So, tell me...who's your boss? I already know where you live. Its just a matter of whether you want to tell me now, or after I beat your door in and drag them out myself."

There was a moment of silence following the Golden Eyed girl's reply. Before the magically pierced ESPER Wing could hit the ground however, she was fortunately grabbed by her fellow, who at once began to retreat from the area, carrying the fatally wounded lesser automaton away from Isolde and the now hostile target. Isolde's eyes watched the two fly off, her expression still as unphased as always. Of course, internally, if she had been capable of such expression, she was most likely screaming and hurling prfoanity at the - not entirely - unprovoked attack.

"Hostility detected." Isolde said flatly. "Chance of successful elimination, less than zero. Chance of escape, less than zero." The automaton continued, as if appraising the situation. At this point however, the Golden Eyed girl would notice slightly different about Isolde... Or rather, something in her heterchromic eye.

The previously amber-colored section close to her iris was changing in color, turning a brighter yellow... And spreading, soon having consumed all the green and replaced it with radiating yellow light.

"Core overload-sequence complete. Self-destruction imminent. Estimated area of effect, 600 feet." Isolde revealed her plan flatly.

If she couldn't kill the target, nor escape, all she had to do was explode. After all, she had already gained information from the Golden Eyed girl, while given nothing of value in return. Furthemore, she had already relayed this information to her fellow ESPERs, and even if the silver haired girl killed all of the northern group, the southern group would still make it back to the Chateau unhindered.

The golden-eyed girl didn't seem all that phased by the change in eyes, but snickered at the idea of the little android girl blowing herself up. ""So what, you're going to try and kill me? With a suicide attack? she asked, laughing before her eyes grew an ever brighter shade of gold before Isolde would feel her core temperature...decreasing. No, rather, her core was no longer feelable...yet she lived. Isolde's feet grew heavy, incapable of movement as the girl approached, not once breaking eye contact with Isolde as stone began to replace the gynoid's flesh; Now, she at least understood why her eyes felt so dangerous. The girl was, racially, of the Medusa classification of heteromorphic species.

And now, she had Isolde completely ensnared in stone, capable of thought, but incapable of action. 

"Seriously, what is with you NPCs acting all defensive over each other? Its not like you're even real. Anyways, enjoy your time-out corner. I'll go knock on your master's door, since, your friends are leading me right to them," she would say, before running off, leaving Isolde alone in the snow, trapped in stone, where she would remain for hours until the dangerous Petrification debuff wore off on her. 

However, at this point, the southern group had already begun their race back towards the Chateau at the maximum speed they could muster, having completely abandoned any camoflauge or concealment they had previously been maintaining. For them, returning to the Chateau was a matter of minutes, and once they returned, they would seek out Rodias, disregarding any other protocol or regulations. The Sable Lord needed to be informed. It was fortunate that Isolde had a the mental ability to send orders to her fellow ESPERs.

For as soon as she had realized that her core was not going to explode, she had sent a final order to her fellow automatons: Only south go home. A rather vague command for Isolde, but it was all she had time to relay before she was completely sealed in her stone-prison, with only her own thoughts available to her.

Luckily, the ESPERs, while not geniuses by any means, were still smart enough to recognize the meaning of this directive. As such, the northern group at once headed west, out towards the open ocean. The ESPER carrying her wounded sister would slowly descend towards an area on the outskirts of the forest, far off from both Amberden and the mountains of the Chateau. Setting her very-nearly dead sister down on the ground, she knelt down and began what emergency repair-program she could. Naturally, this would be an excerise in probable futility, but it would be enough to prolong the injured one's life for a short bit, and serve as a decoy for the Golden Eyed Medusa, should she choose to follow the pair.

Discomfort. My back itches. Isolde, meanwhile, thought to herself.

Unfortunately for the bravery of the Northern Group, the girl was not deterred, nor did they follow the path of the ESPERs. They weren't her target...she already knew exactly where the Chateau was. Storming up the mountain, her target was more than clear:

She was gunning straight for the Chateau.

@BurningDaisies,@Rockin Strings
Having met up with Lord Chompy Bits, Gromgard and the general's assortment of goblins, Ashara exchanged some polite greetings and engaged in some minor, trivial talk about how to go about carrying out there mission. Regardless of what was said, the overall consensus seemed to be that simply killing all the cultists, as per Rodias' instructions, was the only real thing that mattered. After this agreement was reached, the trio - along with their green-skonned entourage - made their way to the forested area that Gromgard had been in before.

Despite the nighttime, thanks to lord Chompy Bits natural senses as a feline, coupled with Gromgard's scout-gpblins and Ashara's ability to sense both auras and lifeforce, the little team of exterminators had no issue both locating and dealing with the - at first - stray cultist or group of them. Their strength was, to Ashara, comparable to that of the villagers that Mars were training back in Amberden, roughly speaking. As such, they posed no threat what so ever to the tribual of immensely overpowering beings that were now hunting them through the forest.

Ashara in particular dealt with any enemies in a swift and unelaborate way. Her golden spear pierced either the hearts, throats or outright severed the heads of any foe unfortunate enough to get in the nine-tailed fox demon's path. There was no suffering or tormenting of her enemies, just swift and sudden death. After all, Ashara took no pleasure or delight in tormenting or playing with her opponents - it was disgraceful and disrespectful to treat others like chew-toys. 

A pair of men wearing their strange masks, hiding in a set of bushes, thought themselves lcever and leapt out to try and ambush the kitsune as she passed them by. They would however find themselves disembowled while still in the air, falling tot he ground with wet splats, mouths agape and faces twisted in horror. 

"Really now." The fox said, letting out a sigh and using one of her slender hands to brush a stray strand of hair from her face. "Trying to ambush a lady in the dark. Such lack of etiquette is just appaling.... Hm?" Ashara suddenly picked up on something and turned her head to look deeper into the heart of the forest. For a moment, she remained quiet and still, focusing. Soon though, her eyes snapped open and a concerned expression crawled its way across her face.

She quickly moved to find Lord Chompy Bits and Gromgard, bringing them together with a certain urgency to her voice, forcing them to stop whatever games or indulgent cruelties they were currently engaged in. Of course, she did so with grace and proper manners, but it was clear something was amiss when the usually docile and obediant Ashara was so... Forceful in urging others to listen to her. Once the three had gotten together once more, Ashara looked back towards the center of the woodlands.

"Lord Chompy, Sir Gromgard... Something-" She began, but unsure of how to word it."-something is not right. The deeper we go in this forest, the more I sense something... A presence." She placed a hand on her chin, thinking of how to describe it. "It feels like... An aura of incredible malice, pure, simple and unadultered evil. Like a fog or miasma of choking gas... It lies at the heart of this forest, and it seems to be just as powerful as any of us." Ashara said, thoughtfully and concerned. Her many tails were moving in a disorderly fashion.

Druid Girl nodded, both at her archer and reptile friend. Though it took a while before the proverbial candle lit above her head as Big Red handed her his portion of the night-patrol's payment. Eventually, the dots between what he had said, and the reason for why she had gotten his money, clicked, and she smiled and looked at her bow-wielding ally.

"Well, while Big Red handles the paperwork, why don't you and I hit the market and shops?" She suggested before heading for the door.

Meanwhile, the lizardman would find the Guild Girl at the reception-counter putting on a polite small, though it was obvious that she was sighing internally at the big brute's questions and poking regarding the two quests he had just brought to bare. She straightened the glasses atop her nose and balled her hand into a small fist, using it to cover her mouth as she half-coughed, half-cleared her throat before speaking.

"I'm sorry sir, but quests are issued by petitioners and clients, not by the Guild. If there isn't any information specified on the quest note itself, we can't really offer much in the way of additional knowledge." She explained, holding a finger up as she talked. "Given that the farmer who posted both fo your quests managead to get to the town yesterday, without being accosted, I don't think you'll encounter. annything too bad. But, for all we know, you could be ambushed by bandits, wolves, a rogue troll or maybe even have a roc or thunderbird swoop down on you." She ewxaggerated. "Or, you might only see a lone field mouse during your entire trip." She added, as a counterwwight to the previously dangerous-sounding scenarios, after which she took a small breath of air before going on.

"As for the goblins..." She paused thoughtfully. "The quest was posted three days, and a group of four porcelain ranked adventurers initially accepted it. Like I said earlier though, if the quest doesn't list any vital information, the Guild doesn't really have anything we can add. I doubt the man who posted it was brave enough to go into the little monsters' lair and count them himself either." The woman spoke, politely but also matter-of-factly. It was true though, just because someone posted a quest to the Guild didn't mean that the Guild had any specifics or important details about the job or its hazards. Adventurers accepted quests under the knowledge that they were potentially hazardous and could well end their lives - that much was made evident by the documents one signed before receiving their guild-tag.

"Still though..." The woman said, placing a hand on her chin and furrowing her brow - a look of concern on her face. "Let me check something." She said, leaving the counter to go into a backroom. Big Red was left alone for a minute or two, before she returned with a small number of papers in her hand. Once back with the lizardman, she began flipping through the pages, reading them in a muttered voice with quickly moving eyes. "Ah, yes. Here we are." She suddenly said, pulling one of the papers from the small pile. "The quest was accepted by a group consisting of a young swordsman, a priest, a female padfoot rogue and a female bard. They were all porcelain-ranks, just as you and your two party members, and they had previously completed only one quest as a team." The Guild Girl divulged, looking up at the lizard from her notes. "Does that help you?" She asked, since she really couldn't do much else for him.

At this point, the Guild Hall had become more lively and full of people. The quest board was being clogged by many potential takers and the tables and chairs were filling up slowly but surely. A group from ysterday, consisting of Bruiser and his two padfoor girls, were being particularly noisy, complaining about the crappy selection of Steel-rank quests.  A group of two youngsters were looking dismayed, mumbling about how they didn't want to go squashing roaches in the sewers, casting jealous glances at Big Red for having snagged - what was probably - the best porcelain quests before they arrived.

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